Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-11-23

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not ignorant Of my duties with respect to
my children. have not been sparing Of
love toward them. Hard may be when
my feelings are strongly reused, but I
am ever just. In the secrets that are
being hidden from me there is,
am convinced, some degrading and
not possible that you should conspire
to keep them from me. If the mat
ter; upon which you are engaged were
honorable, there would be no occasion to
heep 1t from my knowledge. Do not for
get that you have it in your power to
wreck not only my daughters happiness,
but her mothers and mine, if that con-
sideration will have any weight with you. ;
There was much more than this, to which
Mr.. Edward Layton listened with a sad
patience which deepened my pity for him.
He bore, without remonstrance, all the
obloquies that were heaped upon him by
my unhappy husband, who soon after
ward left the room with the injunction
that Mr.. Layton was on no account to be
allowed'an interview with my daughter.
Then Mr.. Layton said to me, Il must bear
sik the happiness of my life is lost it
vii me- through the deep, the sacred love
bear for your child. T devote not only
the dearest hopes of my life, but my life
itself, 10 her cause. Fate is against us.
A man can do no more than his duty"
From that day to this Mabel's mother
has never seen Edward Layton. When
she heard of his marriage into family
whose position in society was to say the
least equivocal, she was in great distress,
fearing the effect the news would have
upon her dear daughter. Mabel Rutland
suffered deeply, but during that time Of
anguish she appeared to summon to her
aid certain fortitude and resignation
which served her in good stead. 1t as
tonished her mother one day to hear her
say:
''Do not blame Edward, mamma; he
is all that is good and noble. Although
he is another lady's husband, and al
though our lives can never be united, as
we had once hoped, shall ever love and
honor him."
"Time will bring comfort to you, my
darling" said the mother, "and it may
be that there is still happy fate in store
for you. You may meet with another
man, around whom no mystery hangs, to
whom your heart will be drawn"
| never, mamma, repueu MaOel. i
shall never marry now"
What most grievously disturbed Mrs.
Rutland was the circumstance that, even
within few weeks of Edward Layton's
marriage he corresponded with her daugh-
ter. Her father was not aware of this.
He usually rose late in the morning,
and it devolved upon Mrs. Rutland to re-
ceive the correspondence which came by
the first post. The letters that Edward
Layton wrote to Mabel were invariably
posted at night, from which it would up
pear that the young man was aware that
they would fall into the hands of Mabel's
mother, and that Mr.. Rutland, unless he
were made acquainted with the fact, was
not likely otherwise to discover it. When
Mrs. Rutland gave her daughter the first
letter from Mr.. Layton Mabel said to
her:
"Do not be alarmed, mamma. This
letter is in reply to one wrote to Mr..
Layton. I may have other letters from
him which I beg you to give me without
papa's knowing. 1t may appear wrong to
you, but it is really not SO. Everything
is being done for the best, as perhaps you
will oDe day learn"
Sad at heart as Mrs. Rutland was, she
had too firm trust in her daughters in
nate purity and sense of self respect not to
believe what she said, both in its letter
and in its spirit, and thus it was that the
secret of this correspondence was also
kept. from Mr.. Rutland. BY pursuing
the course she did, Mrs. Rutland pre-
served, to some extent, peace in the
household.
Thus matters went on for two years,
until Eustace Rutland's wild conduct pro-
duced u terrible disturbance. His absences
from home had grown more frequent and
prolonged; he became dreadfully involved,
and Mr. Rutland received letters and
visits from money lenders 10 class Of men
that he abhorred) in connection with his
sons proceedings. Incensed beyond en-
durance, he banished Eustace from the
house, and forbade him ever again to enter
his doors.
'sIt seemed to be fated, =" said Mrs. Rut-
land, "that there should be always some
thing in our family that it was necessary
to conceal from my husbands knowledge
He banished Eustace from home, but that
did not weaken my love for our dear lad
Three times during the past year 1 have
seen Eustace, and I have not made my
husband acquainted with the fact. What
could do? Had I asked his permission
he would have sternly refused it, and had
I told him that could not resist the i'm.
pulse of my heart to fold my dear boy in
my arms, it would only have made mat
ters worse for all of u.s."
She related to DR.. Daincourt a circum-
stance which had deeply angered her hus-
band. Among the presents the father had
| given to his daughter was very costly
one, diamond bracelet Of great value,
for which Mr.. Rutland had paid no less
than 500 guineas. One evening a dinner
party was given at the house, and MI
Rutland particularly desired that Mabel
should look her best on the occasion. lie
said as much to his daughter, and eX.
pressed desire that she should wear GER.
tain articles of jewelry, and most especial.
| ly her diamond bracelet. He noticed at
the dinner table that this bracelet was not
upon Mabel's arm; he made no remark
before his guests, but when they had de.
parted he asked Mabel why she had not
worn it.
II have so many other things, papa, !"
she replied, "that you have given me. II
was not necessary"
"But," said her father, II desired you
particularly to wear the bracelet Is it
broken? If SO, it can be easily repaired
Let me see it..
| Then the mother saw trouble in her
daughters face Mabel endeavored to
evade her fathers request, and strove to
turn the conversation into another chan.
mel. But he insisted so determinedly upon
seeing the bracelet that she was at length
compelled to confess that it was not in her
possession. Upon this Mr.. Rutland ques-
toned her more closely, but he could OBJ.
tain from her no satisfactory information
as to what had become of it. Suddenly
he inquired if her purse was in her room.
She answered yes, and he desired her t6
bring it down to him. She obeyed; and
when he opened the purse he found only
three or four shillings in it.
SIS this all you have?" he inquired.
eyes, papa" she said, "this is al"
."But it was only yesterday" said Mr..
Rutland, "that you asked me for eco,
and I gave it to you. What have you
done with the money!
Upon this point, also, he could obtain
no satisfactory information. He was
greatly angered
81 thought" he said, "when Mr. Lay.
ton married into the family of q profess
sional sharp-a fit connection for him
that the conspiracy in my house against
my peace of mind, and, it seems to me,
! against my honor, would come to an end.
1t was not so. 1 perceive that am re.